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Desktop client comparison tables for Lync Server 2013

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Topic Last Modified: 2018-01-23

The following tables compare the features and capabilities of Lync 2013 clients in the following categories:

  • Enhanced Presence Support

  • Contacts and Contact Groups Support

  • IM Support

  • Conferencing Support

  • Telephony Support

  • External Users Support

  • Archiving, Compliance, and Logging Support

  • modern auth

These tables indicate the features that are available to Lync users in an on-premises deployment of Lync Server 2013. The same features are also available to Skype for Business Online and Microsoft 365 or Office 365 users unless otherwise indicated.

Important

See Mobile client comparison tables for Lync Server 2013 for details about feature availability in Lync 2013 mobile clients.

Note

Enhanced Presence Support

Feature/capability Skype for Business 2015 and 2016 client Skype for Business on Mac Lync 2013 Lync Windows Store app Lync 2013 Basic Lync Web App Lync 2010 Lync 2010 Attendant Lync Phone Edition Communicator for Mac 2011 Lync for Mac 2011

View status

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Publish status

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View status notes and Out of Office messages

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Add a custom location

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Add a custom note

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Use a photo from any public site for My Picture

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●

  

Contacts and Contact Groups Support

Feature/capability Skype for Business 2015 and 2016 client Skype for Business on Mac Lync 2013 Lync Windows Store app Lync 2013 Basic Lync Web App Lync 2010 Lync 2010 Attendant Lync Phone Edition Communicator for Mac 2011 Lync for Mac 2011

View and Modify Contacts list

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●1

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Tag contacts for status change alerts

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●1

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Control privacy relationships

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●1

Search the corporate address book

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●1

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Search Microsoft Outlook contacts

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●1

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Manage contact groups

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●1

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Expand distribution groups and Microsoft 365 Groups

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●1

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Search for Response Groups

●2

  

●2

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●1

Display recent contacts group

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●1

Display current conversations group

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●1

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Display alternate contact views (for example, tile)

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●1

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Sort contacts by Group, Relationship, or New (people who’ve added you to their Contacts list)

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Sort by group

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●1

Sort contacts by Status (availability)

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●1

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Search and add Exchange contacts

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●

          

●

    

1 For Skype for Business Online, Microsoft 365, or Office 365 users, Lync 2010 Attendant is not supported.

2 For Skype for Business Online, Microsoft 365, or Office 365 users, this feature is not available.

IM Support

Feature/capability Skype for Business 2015 and 2016 client Skype for Business on Mac Lync 2013 Lync Windows Store app Lync 2013 Basic Lync Web App Lync 2010 Lync 2010 Attendant Lync Phone Edition Communicator for Mac 2011 Lync for Mac 2011

Initiate IM or email to a contact

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●1

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Navigate among multiple IM conversations/Track multiple conversations in a single tabbed window

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●1

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Log IM conversations in Outlook

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●1

Saved in Communicator for Mac

Saved in Lync for Mac

Use prepared conversation templates

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●1

Check spelling

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●

  

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Skill search (with SharePoint Server integration)

●2

  

●2

●2

● 2

●1, 2

Persistent Chat (Group Chat) integration

●3

  

●3

●3

  

Escalate a Persistent Chat room to a Lync Meeting with one click

●3

  

●3

  

Inline pictures of sender and receiver in IM window

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Send ink messages

    

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Receive ink messages

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Set IM messages as high importance

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●

                

1 For Skype for Business Online, Microsoft 365, or Office 365 users, Lync 2010 Attendant is not supported.

2 On-premises Lync Server 2013 and on-premises SharePoint 2013 is required for skill search.

3 For Skype for Business Online, Microsoft 365, or Office 365 users, Persistent Chat is not available.

Conferencing Support

Note

  • Lync meeting features are not available in Skype for Business Online Standalone Plan 1.

  • In Lync-to-Lync sessions, a Skype for Business Online Plan 1 user can participate in desktop sharing and application sharing if they are invited by a user who has access to sharing features.

  • For details, see the Skype for Business Online Service Description at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=282430.

Feature/capability Skype for Business 2015 and 2016 client Skype for Business on Mac Lync 2013 Lync Windows Store app Lync 2013 Basic Lync Web App Lync 2010 Lync 2010 Attendant Lync Phone Edition Communicator for Mac 2011 Lync for Mac 2011

Add computer audio

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(requires plug-in)

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●1

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Add video

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(requires plug-in)

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View multiparty video (gallery view)

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Use in-meeting presenter controls

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Access detailed meeting roster

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●1

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Participate in multiparty IM

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●1

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Share the desktop (if enabled)

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● 2

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(requires plug-in)

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●2

●2

Share a program (if enabled)

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View only

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(requires plug-in)

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View only

Add anonymous participants (if enabled)

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Use dial-in audio meetings

●3

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●3

●3

●3

●3

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●1

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Initiate a Meet Now meeting

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Add and present Microsoft PowerPoint files

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Present only

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View only, annotations not available4

Navigate Microsoft PowerPoint files

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Add and edit OneNote meeting notes

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Edit only (not add)

  

Use a whiteboard

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Conduct polls

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Upload files to share with others

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Schedule a meeting or conference

Outlook or Lync Web Scheduler

Requires Mac Outlook version 15.28 or later

Outlook or Lync Web Scheduler

Outlook or Lync Web Scheduler

Outlook or Lync Web Scheduler

Lync Web Scheduler

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Outlook

Q&A Manager

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Create public meetings with static meeting IDs from Outlook

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Disable meeting IM

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Mute Audience

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Make everyone an attendee

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Delegate can schedule a meeting on behalf of delegator

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Synchronize delegates between UNRESOLVED_TOKEN_VAL(skypeforbusiness) and Outlook

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Set Video Spotlight (lock video)

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Give/Take control of screen sharing

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1 For Skype for Business Online, Microsoft 365, or Office 365 users, Lync 2010 Attendant is not supported.

2 Participants cannot control desktops that are shared by Skype for Business on Mac, Lync for Mac 2011, or Communicator for Mac 2011 users. Mac users can control desktops shared by Windows users.

3 For Skype for Business Online, Microsoft 365, or Office 365 users, this feature requires an audio conferencing provider.

4 The Lync for Mac 2011 client cannot view Microsoft Office 2013 PowerPoint presentations when they have been shared in a conference by the Lync Web App 2013 client.

Voice (Telephony) Support

Note

Lync Voice features are limited to certain Skype for Business Online subscription plans. For details, see the “Lync Voice Features” topic in the Skype for Business Online Service Description at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=282430.

Feature/capability Skype for Business 2015 and 2016 client Skype for Business on Mac Lync 2013 Lync Windows Store app Lync 2013 Basic Lync Web App Lync 2010 Lync 2010 Attendant Lync Phone Edition Communicator for Mac 2011 Lync for Mac 2011

Initiate a call

●2

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●2

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●2

●2

●1

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Click to call a contact

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●2

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●2

●2

●1

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Transfer a call

●2

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●2

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●2

●2

●1

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Manage call forwarding

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●3

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●3

●1

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Manage team call settings

●3

  

●3

●3

●1

Manage delegates

●3

  

●3

●3

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Initiate a call to a Response Group

●3

  

●3

●3

●1

Support emergency services (E911)

●3

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Requires Lync Server 2013 CU8 HF1 or later

●3

●3

●3

●1

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IM notification to SIP URI(s) for E-911 call

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IM notification to distribution list for E-911 call

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Connect to voice mail, set up or change greeting

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●1

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Missed call notification

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Make calls on behalf of another contact (manager/delegate scenario)

●3

  

●3

●3

Handle another's calls if configured as a delegate

●3

  

●3

●3

●1

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Manage a high volume of calls

  

●3

●1

Call park

●3

  

●3

  

Group call pickup

●3

  

●3

  

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1 For Skype for Business Online, Microsoft 365, or Office 365 users, Lync 2010 Attendant is not supported.

2 For Skype for Business Online, Microsoft 365, or Office 365 users, this feature is available for PC to PC calls only.

3 For Skype for Business Online, Microsoft 365, or Office 365 users, this feature is not available.

External Users Support

Feature/capability Skype for Business 2015 and 2016 client Skype for Business on Mac Lync 2013 Lync Windows Store app Lync Web App Lync 2010 Lync 2010 Attendant Lync Phone Edition Communicator for Mac 2011 Lync for Mac 2011

Initiate IM with a public contact

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●1

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Initiate IM with a federated contact

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●1

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Conduct two-party or multiparty calls with external users

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●2

●2

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●1

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1 For Skype for Business Online, Microsoft 365, or Office 365 users, Lync 2010 Attendant is not supported.

2 For Skype for Business Online, Microsoft 365, or Office 365 users, this feature is not available.

Recording

Feature/capability Skype for Business 2015 and 2016 client Skype for Business on Mac Lync 2013 Lync Windows Store app Lync 2013 Basic Lync Web App Lync 2010 Lync 2010 Attendant Lync Phone Edition Communicator for Mac 2011 Lync for Mac 2011

Client-side recording of audio, video, application sharing, desktop sharing, and uploaded content

●1

  

●1

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Client-side recording of file transfers, shared OneNote pages, and PowerPoint annotations

●2

  

●2

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Select preferred recording resolution

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●

  

1 For Skype for Business Online, Microsoft 365, or Office 365 users, recording is unavailable in certain Skype for Business Online standalone plans. Recording requires full Lync 2013 client rights. For details, see the Skype for Business Online Service Description at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=282430.

2 For Skype for Business Online, Microsoft 365, or Office 365 users, recording of file transfers, shared OneNote pages, and PowerPoint annotations is unavailable.

Archiving, Compliance, and Logging Support

Feature/capability Skype for Business 2015 and 2016 client Skype for Business on Mac Lync 2013 Lync Windows Store app Lync 2013 Basic Lync Web App Lync 2010 Lync 2010 Attendant Lync Phone Edition Communicator for Mac 2011 Lync for Mac 2011

Archiving of IM conversations in Outlook Conversation History

●2

  

●2

●2

●2

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●1

Saved in Communicator for Mac

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Client-side archiving of audio, video, application sharing, desktop sharing, and uploaded content

●2

  

●2

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Client-side archiving of file transfers, shared OneNote pages, and PowerPoint annotations

●3

  

●3

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Access sign-in logs from Lync icon in the task bar

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●

  

1 For Skype for Business Online, Microsoft 365, or Office 365 users, Lync 2010 Attendant is not supported.

2 For Skype for Business Online, Microsoft 365, or Office 365 users, this feature requires Exchange Online and is controlled by the user’s Exchange mailbox In-Place Hold attribute.

3 For Skype for Business Online, Microsoft 365, or Office 365 users, archiving of file transfers, shared OneNote pages, and PowerPoint annotations is unavailable.

Client limitations

Basic client limitations

The features below are available using the Full client and are not available with the Basic client:

  • Manage team call settings

  • Manage delegates

  • Make calls on behalf of another contact (manager/delegate scenario)

  • Handle another's calls if configured as a delegate

  • Manage a high volume of calls

  • Initiate a call to a Response Group

  • Call park

  • Group call pickup

Online or Hybrid user account limitations

User accounts can exist either Online or On-premises, and that will affect the features available to that user. Users with accounts on Skype for Business Online will not have access to the following features, even with the Full client:

  • Enhanced Presence: Use a photo from any public site for My Picture

  • Contacts: Search for Response Groups

  • IM Support: Persistent Chat (Group Chat) integration

  • IM Support: Escalate a Persistent Chat room to a Meeting with one click

  • External Users: Conduct two-party or multiparty calls with external users